Author: malaysiang

MANILA: At least 22 areas across the country are likely to experience danger level heat indices on Monday, the weather bureau said.

A 47°C heat index is forecast in Dagupan City, Pangasinan, and 46°C in Aparri, Cagayan.

Heat indices of 43°C to 45°C are expected in the following areas:

* NAIA

MMSU (Mariano Marcos State University) Batac, Ilocos Norte;

NVSU (Nueva Vizcaya State University) Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya;

Brgy. Ambulong, Tanuan Batangas;

Puerto Princesa, Palawan;

Virac, Catanduanes;

Iloilo City, Iloilo;

Guiuan, Eastern Samar

Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur

Sinait, Ilocos Sur;

Casiguran, Aurora;

Coron, Palawan;

San Jose, Occidental Mindoro;

Aborlan Palawan

Dumangas Iloilo

Laoag City, Ilocos Norte;

Bacnotan, La Union;

Tuguegarao City, Cagayan;

ISU (Isabela State University) Echague, Isabela

Baler, Aurora

Heat indices or what the temperature feels to the human body when relative humidity is considered danger level when this reaches 41 °C to 51 °C heat indices.

U
nder danger levels, heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely. Continued exposure could also cause heat stroke, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

Meanwhile, almost all parts of the country are forecast to experience fair weather with isolated rain showers due to the easterlies.

The Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting southern Mindanao, meanwhile, will bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms across Caraga and Davao Region.

Moderate to at times heavy rains in those areas could result in flash floods or landslides.

The rest of the country will experience isolated rain showers caused by both the easterlies and localized thunderstorms.

Light to moderate winds and slight to moderate seas will prevail across the archipelago, PAGASA said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will deploy representatives from its regional offices to coordinate with local government units (LGUs) nationwide to intensify awareness on the use of engineering solutions to reduce casualties and minimize damage from massive earthquakes.

‘We will be starting to reach out to various LGUs starting next week through our 17 OCD regional offices nationwide regarding our massive campaign to promote engineering solutions and strict compliance,’ OCD administrator, Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, said in a statement late Sunday.

Nepomuceno noted that this would be done by citing the need for strict compliance with the safety provisions of the Structural Code of the Philippines and the prohibition of construction of houses in “no-build zones”.

‘We are more on the preventive approach than sorry later to save thousands of lives,’ he added.

The OCD chief also reiterated to the public that inadequate preparedness for big earthquakes could claim thousands of lives.

‘While bi
g earthquakes could kill thousands of people, the government, various sectors, and the entire nation can catch up to prevent these high-magnitude earthquakes from being deadly through comprehensive, well-planned, and strict implementation of preparedness measures,’ he added.

Nepomuceno also expressed willingness to go beyond the usual ‘duck, cover, and hold” drills to prepare the country for the strong and deadly tremors.

Based on scientific research, including studies by the Japan International Cooperation Agency and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology, a magnitude 7.2 earthquake generated by the West Valley Fault System in the greater Metro Manila area can cause a death toll of 30,000 to 50,000 and some 100,000 seriously injured.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Several participating stalls in the recently held ‘Kadiwa ng Pangulo’ (KNP) program in the Bicol Region sold rice at PHP20 per kg.

In a news release Sunday evening, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), citing information from the National Irrigation Administration (NIA), said the PHP20 per kg. rice was sold on April 25 during the launch of the KNP at NIA’s Albay-Catanduanes Irrigation Management Office (ACIMO) in Ligao City, Albay.

Among those prioritized to receive PHP20 per kg. rice are members of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries, elderlies, and persons with special needs, according to the PCO.

Regular customers, on the other hand, were able to buy rice at PHP35 per kg.

‘It serves as a way for Irrigators Associations (IAs) to return the blessings they received from the government to less privileged people for their community,’ the NIA said as quoted by the PCO news release.

Aside from rice, the NIA said that different fruits and vegetables, several delicacies
, and other farm products were also sold at affordable prices.

The project was made possible through the efforts of NIA Regional Manager Engr. Gaudencio M. De Vera, Albay-Catanduanes IMO Manager Engr. Jessie D. Baynas, and ACIMO IA Federation president Melanio Bañares.

The NIA emphasized that it remains committed to increasing rice production towards the realization of the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’ envisioned by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed the 100 former Moro guerillas who successfully completed the six-month field training course to join the Philippine National Police (PNP) and urged them to actively participate in writing a “new chapter” for the Bangsamoro region.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony of the Bangsamoro Police Basic Recruit Course (BPBRC) Batch 2023-01 Classes Alpha-Bravo ‘BAKAS-LIPI’ at Camp Pendatun, Parang town, Maguindanao del Norte, Marcos congratulated the recruits for passing the grueling police training program.

‘Tunay na malaking karangalan ang nakamit ninyo, ngunit kaakibat nito ang mabigat na pasanin na responsibilidad na nangangailangan ng matinding pagsisikap. Ang inyong misyon ay higit pa sa paglilingkod at pangangalaga sa mga kababayan natin (What you have achieved is indeed a great honor, but with it comes a heavy burden of responsibility that requires great effort. Your mission is more than serving and caring for our countrymen),’ Marcos said.

‘Kayo
ang tutulong sa pagsusulat ng isang bagong yugto para sa Bangsamoro, tungo sa mas tahimik at matiwasay na kinabukasan (You will help write a new chapter for the Bangsamoro, towards a more peaceful and secure future),’ he added.

The recruits are former members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), consisting of 92 men and eight women.

Their recruitment to the police force was based on National Police Commission (NAPOLCOM) Resolution 2023-0380, which approved the recommendation of the Philippines National Police (PNP) to allocate 400 slots in its recruitment to former members of the MILF and MNLF and is guided by Republic Act (RA) 11054 or the Bangsamoro Organic Law, which was enacted after the signing of a peace agreement between the government and the MILF.

The President also emphasized to the recruits the immense responsibility that comes with their designation as vanguards of peace and order.

‘Napakalaki ng nakasalalay sa inyong bagong katungkulan dah
il nasa kamay ninyo ang pagkamit ng ating patuloy na tagumpay (A great deal depends on your new position as you have in your hands the achievement of our continued success),’ Marcos said.

‘Simula ngayon, kahit saan man kayo italaga, kayo ay kinatawan ng kaayusan at pagbabago na layon nating ipamana sa ating mga anak (From now on, no matter where you are assigned, you are representatives of the order and change that we intend to pass on to our children),’ he added.

The former Moro combatants underwent a rigorous 24-week program that prepared them to carry out the crucial duties of the police force, with a primary focus on enforcing national laws and the specific regulations within the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

The new graduates will be “temporarily appointed as patrolmen and patrolwomen”, in accordance with the decree of the NAPOLCOM.

They have up to 15 years from their date of entry into service to obtain a college degree, a requirement set by the Philippine National Police
(PNP) to allow them to become permanent members of the police force.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ANKARA: At least two Palestinian children have lost their lives due to a heat wave in the Gaza Strip, the UN refugee agency UNRWA said on Sunday.

‘We received reports that at least two children died due to the heat,’ UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement.

‘What more to endure: death, hunger, disease, displacement, and now living in greenhouses-like structures under scorching heat,’ he added.

A severe heat wave has added to the misery of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, already under a deadly Israeli offensive that killed more than 34,400 people and injured thousands since a Hamas attack last October that killed nearly 1,200 people.

‘As temperature rises, life conditions in Gaza worsen,’ UNRWA said.

‘Displaced people have access to less than 1 L of water per person per day for drinking, washing, and bathing, against the 15 L minimum according to Sphere Standards,’ it added.

‘Children pay the highest toll: we need a cease-fire now.’

More than six months into the Israeli war, va
st swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Manila Electric Company (Meralco) chairman and chief executive officer Manuel V. Pangilinan said conventional power plants remain the dependable sources of power, especially as electricity demand surges due to higher temperature caused by El Niño.

In a media briefing at Meralco’s headquarters in Pasig City Monday, Pangilinan said the country needs to build more dependable capacities to avoid “black swan” events, like the current projected persistent yellow and red alerts in the grids due to the power demand.

‘What the country needs are conventional, dependable power plants so we don’t have this crazy situation now,’ Pangilinan said.

Conventional power plants include those that are fueled by coal or gas.

Four years ago, the Department of Energy (DOE) issued a moratorium on greenfield coal-fired power plants since 2020 to ease the country’s dependence on coal.

Last week, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) said liquefied natural gas (LNG) will remain an expensive fuel
option for power plants even if there will be an oversupply in the global market.

Pangilinan acknowledged that ‘coal is the cheapest but it’s probably the least sustainable,’ while gas is a “compromise choice” as it is cleaner than coal but more costly.

Even with the additional supply from renewable energy (RE) facilities, Pangilinan said REs’ dependable capacity is lower than its expected output.

For the past two weeks, the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has been issuing red and yellow alert status in Luzon and Visayas grids, while it put the Mindanao grid under a yellow alert last week due to a number of power plants going on unplanned outages while electricity demand has been exceeding forecast due to the increasing temperature, an impact of El Niño.

In the same briefing, Meralco first vice president and head of networks Froilan Savet said the actual peak electricity demand in Meralco franchise areas this year is close to the level of the forecast peak demand in 2026 at 9,698 megaw
atts.

Current peak demand is at 9,301 MW, higher than the actual demand last year at 8,438 MW.

The distribution utility (DU) firm is also expecting higher energy sales for the second quarter of the year due to the surge in demand.

For the first quarter of 2024, DU’s energy sales already increased by 9 percent to 12,307 gigawatt-hour from 11,287 GWh in first quarter of 2023.

Meralco said around 2.5 GWh consumption per day is noted for every degree increase in temperature.

Source: Philippines News Agency